Tough
by obsessedwithstabler
Summary: There was a time back before she was mine when I thought I was tough...


Hey again, everybody! I'm back with my newest songfic! This one is based on the Craig Morgan song, Tough. I heard this song a while back, and it made sense to write it for Alex. So enjoy, and please remember to review!

Disclaimer: Not mine! Not mine!

This songfic is dedicated to Paige, for her incredible patience through nearly 150 stories. Thanks, Paige!!

He awoke to a tiny hand against his cheek, and a little voice whispering, "Daddy..." He grinned and kept his eyes shut, then roared and grabbed his daughter up in his arms, laughing as she squealed and struggled to get away.

He climbed out of the bed and carefully slung her over his shoulder, both of them laughing as he carried her downstairs and into the kitchen, where his wife was standing at the stove and cooking breakfast.

"Morning, baby," he greeted her, kissing her fully on the lips as their children squealed. Bobby set their daughter down in her high chair, then walked over and kissed his son on the top of his head.

"Dad," Trevor groaned, pushing Bobby away playfully. Bobby shrugged and sat down beside his daughter, who was happily banging her sippy-cup against the tray of her high chair.

He smiled as she set the plates in front of him and their children, then sat down. As she took her seat, he caught a glimpse of the pink ribbon pinned to her shirt, and his eyes watered.

For five years, she had worn that pink ribbon to serve as a reminder of her strengths and weaknesses. It stood for everything she had gone through, everything that was still to come.

Cancer.

That word still sent a chill through his body. Five years, and he still couldn't believe that Alex, his Alex, had cancer. She had been in remission for nearly two years, but with every day, he was so frightened that it would return with a hateful vengeance and ravage her body once again.

He watched her though breakfast as she dealt with Trevor's refusal to eat, and once she was done, Emma's newfound delight in shedding her clothes. Eight o'clock came too soon, and he kissed the kids goodbye, then took Alex in his arms and kissed her goodbye.

"I love you," he said as he walked out the door, and she grinned and said, "I love you too, Bobby."

BABABABABABABABABABABABABABABABABABA

Later that night, after Trevor and Emma had finally fallen asleep, Bobby and Alex climbed into the bed and slipped under the covers. He snaked his arms around her waist and pulled her against his chest, and she smiled and snuggled into the warmth he provided.

_She's in the kitchen at the crack of dawn _

_Bacon's on, coffee's strong _

_Kids running wild, taking off their clothes _

_If she's a nervous wreck, well it never shows _

_Takes one to football and one to dance _

_Hits the Y for aerobics class _

_Drops by the bank, stops at the store _

_Has on a smile when I walk through the door _

_The last to go to bed, she'll be the first one up _

_And I thought I was tough _

_She's strong, pushes on, can't slow her down _

_She can take anything life dishes out _

_There was a time _

_Back before she was mine _

_When I thought I was tough_

As Bobby held Alex in his arms, his mind drifted back to a doctor's office five years ago, where he had taken Alex after she had passed out in the middle of the squad room.

_Bobby held her hand tightly in his as the doctor looked at them sympathetically, a file in his hand_. "Mrs. Goren, I'm very sorry, but I'm afraid that you have cancer. It's metastasized, and with this kind of cancer, the chance for a five year survival rate is about twenty five percent."

_That night, after laying Trevor in his bassinet, Bobby had broken down as the doctor's words finally sank in, and he fell to his knees and cried. Alex had found him like that, and she managed to help him to his feet and guide him into their bedroom, where she held him in her arms as they laid in the bed._

"It'll be okay, Bobby," _she had whispered over and over again as she stroked his hair_. "It'll be okay, somehow." _She had amazed him every day since, always having a smile for him and their son, and never shedding a tear._

But one day, he walked into the bedroom and found her crying silently into her hand. He had ran to her side and held her in his arms as he rocked her back and forth. There on the pillow, he could see clumps of her hair on the soft material.

His arms tightened around her slender form as he remembered her putting on the wig for the first time, and how she had worn it every Sunday to church.

_We sat there five years ago _

_The doctors let us know, the test showed _

_She'd have to fight to live, I broke down and cried _

_She held me and said "It's gonna be alright" _

_She wore that wig to church _

_Pink ribbon pinned there on her shirt _

_No room for fear, full of faith _

_Hands held high singing Amazing Grace _

_Never once complained, refusing to give up _

_And I thought I was tough_

_She's strong, pushes on, can't slow her down _

_She can take anything life dishes out _

_There was a time _

_Back before she was mine _

_When I thought I was tough_

A soft kiss to the corner of his mouth alerted him to the fact that she was awake, and he looked down at her and smiled. "Hey."

"Hey," she whispered back, snuggling against his chest.

He felt her begin to press kisses to his chest, and he brushed her soft hair out of her face and kissed her forehead. She tilted her head upward and kissed him languidly, her hand traveling up to bury itself in his hair.

When they broke the kiss, she smiled warmly at him, fingering his curls as she said, "I love you, Bobby. So much."

He kissed her forehead, then the tip of her nose. "I love you too, Alex. More than you'll ever know."

At his soft voice and tender touch, she melted and smiled as he swept her beneath him and touched her gently. "You're mine," he whispered as he gently nipped at her neck, and she smiled and ran her fingers through his dark curls.

"When was I not, Bobby?" she whispered, running her small hands over his back. They kissed again, and she wrapped her legs around his waist and pulled him closer to her.

The door creaked open, and Bobby sensed a small presence in the room before he heard it. He groaned softly and rolled onto his side, waiting patiently for the intruder to make their way over to the bed.

A few seconds later, he felt a small hand on his cheek, and a small voice whispered, "Daddy."

He smiled and patted the bed beside him, and she quickly climbed up into the bed and curled up beside him.

"Love you, Daddy," Emma yawned, and he smiled and wrapped his arms around her and kissed her mop of curly brown hair.

"Love you too, my Em."

He felt Alex's arm curl around his waist, and he whispered, "Love you, Alex."

She leaned over him and kissed the side of his head, resting her head in the crook of his neck and shoulder. "I love you too, Bobby," she said softly just before she yawned.

Soon Alex and Emma were asleep, but Bobby laid awake in the bed, just relishing the quiet time with his girls. And they held him in the palm of their hands. Alex from the day he had met her, and Emma from the time Alex had told him that she was pregnant again.

And he loved his son just as much. After Trevor was born, he had always joked to Alex that she was outnumbered, but even when it was just her, he was outnumbered.

He felt her breaths softly dance against his skin, and as he finally began to drift off, he couldn't help but think that she was definitely the toughest and strongest woman he had ever known in his entire life.

_She's a gentle word, the sweetest kiss _

_A velvet touch against my skin _

_I've seen her cry, I've seen her break _

_But in my eyes, she'll always be strong _

_There was a time _

_Back before she was mine _

_When I thought I was tough_

The End

A/N: I hope everyone enjoyed that little songfic. For all my MC fans out there, don't worry! I have two new stories and a songfic in progress for them, so just hang in there! Please remember to review, everyone!


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